For multidisciplinary artist Jessi Saiki, reflecting on their art is a walk down memory lane.
“A lot of art I do in solitary, just me on my own thinking my own thoughts,” Saiki said. “Sometimes I look back at art and I feel really lucky to look back and see and feel and hear the people that were around me when it was made. When drawing, or listening to an artist at a coffee shop.”
Saiki says that growing up in an environment fostering love and expression directly impacts their artistic style, and credits their parents and sister: “I would be in a hole somewhere without them.” From a very young age, Saiki remembers “holding tightly” onto art, and sees it as a mirror of themselves.
“I feel really lucky to be able to look back at a lot of my art and think, I remember who was there when we loaded this beloved sculpture in the kiln — shout out to Alanna Derochhi and all my clay buddies,” they continued. “Yeah, and in general I have so much love, respect and admiration.”
“When I reflect on that, I always see my Nana, and feel the way that her hands feel when she would be showing me how to do things,” they said. “I am so lucky to have had that love from my Nana to mentor me and embrace me, to hold onto art so tightly at a young age. Because I was surrounded by love and free expression I can confidently describe my art style as surreal and free.”
From illustrating to painting, sculpture and encaustics, Saiki dabbles in many different mediums. As a self-described “very visual person,” Saiki says they are often in their own head.
“I want to say meditating on things, but sometimes I get lost in envisioning things, seeing things from the past, future and beyond, daydreaming!” they said. “My art is a place I can go to bring those things out. I can create and share those things with others.”
Saiki says they read lots of comics and watched cartoons growing up and credits their inspiration to Ken Sugimori of Pokemon and Pendleton Ward of Adventure Time.
“I feel very grateful and I want to breathe that out into the air and thank the people who have uplifted my art and believed in me and what my art has to say,” they said.
Saiki’s Redbubble shop has prints, mugs, stickers, t-shirts, phone cases and baseball hats available for purchase. Saiki will be selling all kinds of goodies at the 2024 Zine Fair on Dec. 1 from 12-6 p.m. at The Nave.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
